jakermc

I have a '98 F355 GTS and love every minute behind the wheel.

Drmark

GTS much cheaper than a 456 here in the UK. My 95 GTS (36,000 miles and like new) cost me £19,500 last year - the cheapest 456 I could find a the time (a pristine 96 manual with 40,000) was £45,000. Would go for the 456 if I had the cash to buy and run, but not as a daily driver which my GTS is.
Mark

morganabowen

One of my clients has a '98 456 auto, dark Blue with tan interior. It is a beautiful car, and I've ridden with him twice. I've never driven a GTS, but the F-car acceleration is unbelieveable. On the other hand, the maintenance is very very expensive. He is selling it for $89K, and looking into purchasing a 02 Turbo Porsche RUF, with the same color scheme

blau928

WF, your post to my comment about my S4 having as much power as a GTS..

My S4 is modified... Yours may not be...

Kaz

The 456 has two known issues with it. The windows pull away from the rubber due to high tension from the motor to keep them sealed. This was a recall issue and should've been addressed in the early models. The later years should be good to go. The second is the rear transaxle which a PPI should reveal. Otherwise it's not as expensive a model to own as a 355 or Testarossa to throw two random models out. One of the reasons is that the engine does not need to come out for major service which is true of most front engine V12 Ferrari models.

Someone remarked that the 550 needs a valve job every 2k. That isn't true either. The only thing the early model 550's suffered from was insanely high oil pressure which had a tendency to blow the oil filter apart. There is a cheap fix for this and once again, you're good to go.

All in all, the front engine V12 have been reliable everyday cars for the Ferrari guys I know. Much like our cars, the more you drive them, the better off they are. Of course, the Ferrari crowd tends to be full of more weiners who are insanely mileage conscious but that's beginning to change. Not a few months ago a Southern California gentleman traded in his 360 Spyder with 100,000 trouble free miles on it.

Lastly asking prices and actual sale price are two very different things in the Ferrari world. While the asking prices are $85 grand and such the reality is the cars actually go for $65-75 grand for well documented models and for "beaters" you'll see them in the $50 grand range.

PorKen

You could get a 456 styled 928...


clic pic for Craig's listing

I showed HB the 456 estate, but she didn't think the dogs would like it better than our Merc.

nicobel

456? NO!!!
550: Maybe
575M? Yep!
599? Anytime.
I keep telling my friends that Porsche parts are CHEAP compared to Ferrari parts. I.E: When a friend of mine was restoring his 308, he spent $ 8000 fixing the engine, plus the cost for a "new" used gearbox.For the same money, you can buy a nice 928 engine (or a nice under 86 928). Some of the little stupid interior bolts we bought were $ 90 per pair!! 928 interior bolts are like what, $ 1?...
A 550 will be nice for more than 150K miles, i am sure. They are almost as bulletproof as the 928.
Testarossas have a horrible tendency to turn into a ball of fire much earlier than fuel line ill 928's, i've seen some F512 corpses here and there..
360/430 Are nice. Having the money, i would get one as daily driver (yep) alternating with a GTS. Two different cars, two ways of finding dirving pleasure.
BTW: There are no BIG 3 for Ferrari owners...

tv

Kind of like this one? My shark and a 355 Sunday plus 20 other exotics. I'll post something about the ride. I'll keep the shark, thanks. Mine sounds better.

Jim bailey - 928 International

This is interesting..."1997 Ferrari 456 Price $79985.00 ... more. A&G Select Imports ... IT HAS
HAD its 30000 mile service $7000 worth, IE timing belts, clutch....." A Ferrari car is a bit like "trophy wife "or a Rolex watch the fact that it is expensive is part of the attraction and the more you spend on it the better Look what I can afford ...Some Ferrari owners often seem to like to brag about how much they spend on their toys...

jakermc

Funny, I have heard lots of folks say the same thing about Porsche owners.

Ferrari is just like any other marque, there are enthusiasts and there are poseurs. As an active member in both the PCA and the FCA, I have not found the ratio to be any different between the two. Attend a Ferrari event and I am certain you'll come away with the same opinion.

Jim bailey - 928 International

Good point Jakermc.... but fact is few "poseurs" buy a 928 ! especially when you consider the AVERAGE value of a 928 is now most likely a four digit number... It is a little tough to impress people with a car which costs less than a new Kia Not that there is anything wrong with Kia. The fact that Porsche finds a market for carbon brake discs on USA street driven cars substantiates your statement.

Kaz

I spent the last month living with a F1 360 Spyder and I can safely say this is not the Ferrari for me. While it was cool for a little while and amusing in how differently people treat you it was a little bit more trouble than it's worth.

This particular car was modified with larger rims so it rode awfully on the freeway though I eventually got used to it. There really was no comfortable seating position for me and I'm only 6'1. It had a stage 3 Capristo exhaust which is beyond obnoxiously loud though glorious at full song which I rarely took advantage of so as not to call more attention to myself than was already occuring with a red 360 Spyder. Also, the ensuing headache wasn't worth it. 30mph in 3rd gear was just as bad noise wise.

What was it good for? Lots of thumbs up, lots of camera phone picture taking, lots of regular picture taking, actually stopped and had a convo with Jay Leno who promptly told me the story of his 188mph spin at Taladega in a Porsche Carrera GT, women in hot cars will do a rolling roadblock to stay next to you while either pretending not too look or obviously letting you know they are interested, guys in minivans already tailgate me in my 928, they absolutely simmer in resentment at the 360, women make themselves readily available, and CHP Officers and LAPD wave like little kids in a candy store. Did I mention women lose their mind around the car? Ok. That's about all a 360 Spyder is good for. Oh and it does sound really good with the pipes for half hour stints.

JG928S4

These 3 are the cars of the past, and now I am enjoying the S4. Answer enough??

khalloudy

There was a C&D article on comparing the GTS and the 456GT back in 1993 i believe and you know who came on top of course the 928. The 456 is a nice looking car and pretty practical as a GT, but i still like the shape of the 928 more. Just a personal oppinion.

Matt H

I was lucky enough to drive a new F430 for about 4 days a few months back. It had modified exhaust and sounded simply incredible at WOT. It rode like crap and I never really got comfortable, though some of that may have been due to just driving a car worth that much. I am not very tall but I am, um, fat and I just found the car to never really get me in a position that it felt good to me.

+ everyone and their brother notices you (even in a black car)
- EVERYONE and their brother notices you - a stop at a restaurant took eternity for all the people wanting to ask questions, you cannot pass a cop without them noticing
- the only people that SPOKE to me about the car were guys, a few chicks said nice car but that was the extent of it, the guys wanted to know every detail

Would be neat to put an F car in the garage but the wife didnt want one for a daily driver and the last thing I needed was a 2nd car to sit in the garage and never move. I could be talked into a 348 Challenge for the weekends though
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